On Teachers
”Push the pedal accelerator to two.” Her brother scolded.
What does he mean by “two”? Her instructor at the school for driving didn’t
taught, told her that. Confused, nervous, she started again. The car rolled
slowly forward, then, “greg” ran over the wheel of a bike which was parked at
the road-side and she had to pay Rp.50.000.- for the damage. Her brother’s face
was furious, angry and seems to say “how stupid”. Yes, sure, that’s the way how
to teach a beginner from “being able” into “being unable”, killing one’s
confidence and ardor. He forgot, that he too was just as stupid as she is now
when he started to learn driving a car.
Dorna was another kind of teacher, master.
When he saw how well Harjuna fought against him during the
Bharata-yudha war, he enjoyed the fight. Dorna rejoiced, was happy and proud of
his favorite pupil, for, perceiving his excellence, brilliance in the martial
art, his own excellence, brilliance was reflected.
The choir leader.
Two old women choir singers failed the test to become a
church choir singer. Their choir leader was so sorry for them. Oh, how
difficult it was to teach them the most elementary, easy things as do, re, mi
and beat time, as difficult as teaching a dolphin play in a circus.
How happy they were as at last they succeeded to pass the
test and not because of being pitied. But it was the choir leader who was
happier and proud, for, he feels, it was he himself who was being tested and
had success in teaching the slowest, least talented singers to become able to
sing. Though he well knows that by stricter audition he would have a better
choir.
“When someone fails, fails and fails again, perhaps the
teacher is unable to make his students capable. Who can pride himself in
teaching a clever, most talented person? Mozart was even better than his
teachers,” the choir leader said.
Isn’t it great, when a teacher doesn’t fear to impart all
his knowledge, ability to his students, or to be surpassed? What about a
teacher who never taught as though he were a teacher?
This is a translation of my letter in Berita Buana, 15
April 1993
Yet, I remember there was a professor who was a very
“killer”.
But today there’s almost no need for teachers, as one can
also learn from the internet and in the future, we stop being pupils, students,
disciples, worshippers ... There are no teachers, professors, grandmasters, saints, ... and
PhD’s who would scare us anymore.
I make me, now in old age, a teacher of myself. Ha. Ha.
March 2014
This is my book. You can read it.
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